In China, Close to 8,000 People Are Vying for One Government Job

Graduates pose for group pictures at Fudan University in Shanghai, China May 31, 2016. Careers in the civil service aren't as popular among Chinese college graduates as they once were, though certain attractive positions still draw huge numbers of applicants.
Photo:
Reuters

The hottest government job in China this year has nothing to do with figuring out how to fix the country’s debt-ridden economy or helping President Xi Jinping revitalize the Communist Party for the 21st century. Instead it involves serving tea to visitors at the offices of a toothless political organization that’s barely been relevant since 1949.

More than a million people had signed up to take China’s annual civil service examination as of the end of the weekend, the state-run China News Service reported Monday morning. When registering for the test, would-be civil servants are required to select the jobs they wish to apply for. This year, the most popular job by far -- with more than 7,700 applicants vying for a single position as of Sunday -- is head of the reception office at the China Democratic League.

Established in 1941, the China Democratic League is a political party that positioned itself as an alternative to Mao Zedong’s Communists and Chiang Kai-shek’s Nationalists during China’s civil war. It has survived as one of a handful of small political parties China’s leaders allow to exist to present a semblance of political and ideological diversity.

Why a job with the Democratic League appeals to so many would-be civil servants isn’t readily apparent. The position’s location, in Beijing, is a selling point, as are the relatively modest requirements.

The China Democratic League job involves “engaging in official reception services” and “doing preparatory work for official meetings and activities,” according to a description published in state media and on education websites. Only a bachelor’s degree is required; Communist Party membership is not.

Competition for civil service jobs has long been fierce. The promise of stable employment with guaranteed benefits has wide appeal. Interest has dipped in recent years as a muscular anti-corruption campaign launched by President Xi reduces opportunities to pocket ancillary income from jobs that are seen as carrying heavy pressure.

Around 930,000 people sat for the exam last year, down from close to a million the previous year, according to a report by the official Xinhua News Agency. Many of those who register for the test fail to show up on exam day.

At the same time as they crack down on corruption, China’s leaders have been trying to improve the quality of government employees, in part by raising education and other requirements. Consequently, applicants have flocked to a tiny handful of low-bar jobs that are still located in desirable cities.

The last position to attract similar levels of interest was department director in the Ethnic Theory and Policy Research Office of the State Ethnic Affairs Commission, which in 2014 attracted close to 14,000 applicants for 2 positions. The job had nearly identical requirements as this year’s top job and was likewise based in Beijing.

Commenting on news of the China Democratic League’s popularity among candidates, several users of the popular Weibo social media network complained that other jobs had too many qualifications, whether in terms of education, residency permits or party membership.

“It’s not that I don’t want to apply. It’s that I don’t understand why grassroots jobs come with so many conditions,” read one of the most liked comments.

There were nearly 27,817 individual positions available this year, up 25% from 2015, according to a report by the state-run Beijing Daily newspaper. Xinhua said a slightly smaller number of jobs are available for next year. Monday is the final day to register to take the test, which will be held on Nov. 27.

Other highly desirable places to work besides the China Democratic League include the eastern China division of the civil aviation regulator, the Inner Mongolia Material Reserves Administration Bureau and the Chinese Academy of Governance, according to Xinhua.

The State Civil Service Administration, which is in charge of hiring government workers, posted a notice on Thursday that called for test-takers to consider applying for less popular jobs.

“We hope the vast majority of candidates will make rational choices when selecting positions, considering both characteristics of each job and their own personal conditions,” said the notice. Attached was a list of close to 4,000 positions that had elicited tepid responses, many of them in remote areas like Tibet and the frigid city of Qiqihar in the northeastern province of Heilongjiang.

Xinhua reported over the weekend that around 400 jobs had not attracted a single applicant. While recognizing that some jobs were unpopular because of high requirements or bad geography, the news agency urged test takers against competing for the most attractive positions.